Bury the Hatchet
by Californiapoppy5
Summary: Heartbroken Gabriella Montez put herself through hell for the last five years. She became a drunk, depressed, self-loathing mess all over one guy. After an intervention in college, she got on the straight and narrow. One glimpse of him sent her into a spiral, then Gabriella decides to hunt her ex down for an explanation. Will she finally bury the hatchet with her ex?


**Bury the Hatchet**

Gabriella Montez fumed as she picked up her drink. It'd been five years since the break up but every time she drank she thought about him. Every time she thought about him, she wanted to punch something. It happened two months after High School graduation. He was going to Berkeley and she went to Stanford. They were going to be so close so they could be together, so she thought.

Apparently, after their perfect summer, he had a change of heart.

They'd been together since before they went through puberty. They'd met in the fifth grade and he claimed love at first sight. They lived in the same town, with the same friends for seven years before he broke her heart. He tore her apart. She'd never been the same since.

Once she got to Stanford, she made friends with the upperclassmen. She went to parties and tried to drink to forget but it turned out, she drank and remembered. After she turned 20, a couple of friends visited and sensed a drinking problem. They made her promise to stop and she did for two whole years.

One day, she turned on the TV and there he was in all his glory. He'd just signed to the Phoenix Suns. She just graduated from college and was moving back to New Mexico to take care of her sick grandmother. She'd become a Nurse, got a job in the care home that fortunately her grandmother lived in.

After she moved back home she started drinking again, but only on the nights before her days off. She started remembering again. She started feeling the pain of having her heart ripped out of her chest. She started planning. She might take a little trip to see Troy Bolton down in Phoenix. She might pull a Carrie and fuck up his pretty little car. She might even pull a Miranda and burn his whole damn house down.

God, and she wanted him to hurt, just like he hurt her.

Her friends thought she was overreacting. Her mother thought she'd lost her damn mind. Her father just wanted to see her smile again. She tried to cover it up for a while. She'd tried dating again. Nothing ever felt right. Nothing felt like it was with him. It was a once in a lifetime feeling.

The thing that hurt the most was she never got a reason why. She never got an apology. She hadn't spoken to him for five whole years. She hadn't talked to his mother, even though their parents still talked. She hadn't talked to his best friends, even though they were once her friends too. She felt like she'd been put in the dark and was forgotten.

Sweet little Gabi would never be confrontational. She hurt, she still hurt. It was about damn time she got an explanation. Maybe even getting to swing at his pretty little face would settle the score. She was tired of feeling hurt. She was tired of nitpicking the last 12 years. She was tired of overanalyzing her own behaviors and flaws to fathom some type of explanation.

But first she needed another drink.

"Bartender." She called, lifting her finger. She looked down at her empty glass. "One more."

"One more then I'm cutting you off." The bartender said, taking her cup and filling it with the amber liquid that she craved so much.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She tapped her fingers on the bar impatiently.

Her phone started ringing from her purse. She frowned and looked at the time and the name on the screen. Sharpay. It was only midnight and she was getting cut off. She sighed, pressing the answer button. "Hello?"

"Hey Gabi."

"What's up Shar?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at the bartender. She moved her hand to tell him to speed it up. How long did it take to pour some fucking beer in a cup?

"Just seeing what you are doing. Why is it so loud over there? What are you doing?" Sharpay asked.

Gabriella grabbed her glass from the bartender. "Just getting drinks with a couple coworkers."

"Don't overdo it Gabi, seriously. I'm going to have to stage another intervention."

Gabi snorted. "At least you won't have to make up a fake story to tell my parents."

"Gabi, that's so not funny." Sharpay said. Gabi rolled her eyes at her dramatic friend. "One and go home, Gabi."

"Yeah, yeah." Gabi took a couple gulps of her beer before she set the glass down. She licked her lips and sighed. "Hey Shar?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you ever talk to T?" The line was silent. "Shar?"

"I'm still here." Sharpay said. "I'm just shocked. I haven't heard you talk about you know who without using the words 'heart-breaking son of a bitch' or 'stupid piece of shit.' Or my favorite-"

"Shar! Answer the question." Gabi snapped.

Sharpay sighed. "Yes, we still keep in touch." Gabi closed her eyes briefly. "Gabi-"

"Save it Shar." Gabi choked out. How could he stay in touch with Sharpay and not with her? She downed the rest of her beer. "I just want an explanation. Since you haven't told me that you've been talking to him for the last five years, you're going to give me his home address."

"Gabi, that is not a good idea." Sharpay said wearily. "Besides, you never asked."

"You know how I felt! You know how much he hurt me. The least you can do is give me his address." Gabi reasoned.

"You're not going to burn his house down or anything, are you?" Gabi heard as she slid of the barstool, plucking her wallet from her purse. She threw a couple bills at the bar tender before she collected her purse and walked outside.

"Of course not. I just want an explanation. Since he hasn't reached out to me, I am reaching out to him. Somebody has got to be the bigger person, it might as well be the scorned." Gabi laughed as she walked down the street in the warm night air.

Sharpay was quiet again. "One condition."

"What?"

"I have to go with you."

"No way Shar! You're in the middle of audition season. I'm not pulling you away from that just so you can babysit me."

Sharpay sighed. "Fine. Promise me you'll call me often and tell me exactly what you guys say. I need a fucking transcript, okay?"

"Yeah, whatever, fine." Gabi waved it off. "I'm almost home."

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Sharpay thought aloud.

"I can't believe you have been talking to him for years and I had no idea!" Gabriella reminded angrily. "You're lucky I fucking love you, or else I would fly to New York and rip your extensions out of your head."

"Oh shut up, you wouldn't."

"God." Gabriella breathed out. "Why am I so fucked up, Shar?"

"I don't know." Sharpay's voice softened.

"What is wrong with me?"

"Nothing, Gab, nothing is wrong with you."

Gabriella fought back tears. Beer makes her emotional. "Why do I still feel like this after all this time?"

"You need closure." Sharpay said finally. "I guess that is why I am helping you. You need closure."

"I need closure." Gabriella repeated.

"You're so much better than this." Sharpay said with a frown. "God, I remember you butt dialed me and were sobbing and screaming 'Just a Fool' by Christina Aguilera. You were doing so good, why are you drinking again?"

"I saw him on the TV. The basketball thing he was on was airing and I saw him." Gabi let out a shaking breath. "I felt like I was eighteen again. I felt like he was telling me it was over again."

Sharpay sucked in a breath. "If you need me, I'm there."

"I'm fine, Shar, really. I just need to see him before I can finally move on." Gabriella opened the door to her apartment. She closed the door behind her. Her cat, Misty, greeted her by rubbing up against her legs. "I need you to promise me something."

"Anything."

"Don't tell him I'm coming. Don't warn him or anything."

"Gabi."

"You said anything. Promise me." Gabi said calmly, taking a seat on her couch. Misty jumped on the couch and curled up in her lap.

Sharpay groaned. "Fine, Gabi."

"I miss you Shar."

"I miss you too, Gabi."

"Talk soon?"

"Of course. I'll call you tomorrow afternoon."

"Alright, I love you." Gabi hung up the phone after the goodbyes. She looked down at her purring kitty. "Mitt, I'm going to Arizona!" Misty just looked up at Gabi, nudging her head under Gabi hand just a signal to keep petting her.

* * *

><p>Two weeks later, Gabi stopped drinking again. She got her head together and put in for vacation time at work. She took a week off. She was going to need one day to prepare, another to drive, a third to see Troy, a fourth to think it over and say her final goodbye. By day five she would be back home, morning the relationship in the privacy of her own home.<p>

Gabriella, being the perfectionist she was, quadruple checked to make sure she had everything. She got an oil change, filled up her tank, even got a tune up for her car. She made sure her mom was going to stop by everyday and feed her cat.

She set off around ten in the afternoon. She was going to take her time, driving across the state. She was stopping however many times she needed to. She didn't want to rush over there. She enjoyed driving alone, singing to herself. She felt the most free on the road alone, she didn't have to think about anything other than driving the speed limit and staying in her lane.

She got to Phoenix around dinner time. She had been stuck in some traffic but she didn't mind. She checked into her hotel and grabbed dinner in the restaurant in the hotel. She laid back on her bed and her phone started to ring. She sighed, knowing the only person it could be.

"Hi Shar."

"Hey Gabi, did you make it?"

"Yep, I'm in my hotel right now." Gabi said, lying back down on her king sized bed.

"How does it feel?"

"It hasn't caught up to me yet. If you get a drunken phone call in a couple hours then I guess you know how it's going."

"You'll be fine." Sharpay said, rolling her eyes. "So I talked to him today."

"Uh, why?" Gabi asked, sitting up again.

"Just to say what's up." Sharpay informed. "He'll probably be home in the morning. The afternoon he goes to this one place. Uh, something cactus. I think it's a bar. He says he's always there on Saturdays during the off season."

"Something cactus, very informative Shar."

"Don't shoot the messenger."

Gabi sighed. "Sorry for being a bitch. Just talking about him stresses me out."

"I know Gabi. You'll be fine. You are a strong, confident woman. You are not eighteen anymore. You rule your life and Troy Bolton will never know what hit him." Sharpay said confidently.

Gabi smiled a little to herself. Even if she didn't completely feel that way, it was nice to know someone had faith in her. "Thanks Shar. Maybe my next trip will be to New York."

"It better be! You'll love it here. You'll get lost in the city and won't even remember whats his face."

"I love you Shar."

"Love you too Gabs. Tell me how it goes."

"I will. I'll call tomorrow."

Gabriella walked around the large shopping center feeling overwhelmed. She googled 'cactus bar and grill' and it came only came up with one match. She grabbed a cab and here she was. She walked over to the map and breathed out when she finally found it.

She spent the whole morning making sure she looked good. She wanted to show him what he gave up five years ago.

She finally picked up her feet and started walking towards the bar. She took a deep breath as she approached it. It looked packed. She slipped in and headed straight for the bar. She looked around as she waited for the bartender. She suddenly heard everybody clapping.

"What can I get for you?" The bartender asked her.

"Can I get a be-" She stopped mid sentence when she heard his voice.

"Hey, y'all welcome to Saturday specials here are Cactus Blues. I know most of you know me because I play in that big arena just a couple hundred feet away but during the off season I do something a little different."

"Miss?"

Gabriella turned her head to the bartender. "Sorry. Can I get Jack on the rocks please?"

"I sing." Troy continued. He was up on a small stage with a keyboard on one side and a guitar on the other.

"Oh god, make it a double."

"Fifteen." The bartender said.

She threw a twenty at him for good measure and took a seat on the now empty barstool next to her. She took a deep breath and watched him pour her drink. "The first song I'm singing for y'all is something slower than what I normally do but it's a good song. I hope you like it."

"Here you go."

"Thanks." She took a long sip before reluctantly turning to face the stage. Her eyes focused on him as he set up the stage. "Oh god." She repeated quietly, taking another drink.

Troy took a deep breath before he started playing the piano. He looked up and froze. Gabriella stiffened as his eyes met hers. She knew he saw her. He cleared his throat and mumbled an apology before he started playing again. He looked up at her again with an expression she couldn't read. She just took another drink.

_"Same bed but it feels a little bit bigger now._  
><em>Our song on the radio, but it don't sound the same.<em>  
><em>When our friends talk about you, all it does is tear me down.<em>  
><em>Cause my heart breaks a little every time I hear your name.<em>

_It all just sounds like Ohhh.._  
><em>Too young, too dumb to realize<em>  
><em>That I should have bought you flowers,<em>  
><em>And held your hand,<em>  
><em>Should have gave you all my hours when I had the chance.<em>  
><em>Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance<em>  
><em>Now my baby is dancing, but she's dancing with another man."<em>

Gabriella couldn't tear her eyes away from him. He was electric on stage. He should have been a performer. He wanted to be for a while when they were in high school. He chose the basketball route. She realized that even though she didn't know this person who was singing to her, there was her Troy deep down in that man somewhere.

_"My pride, my ego, my needs, and my selfish ways_  
><em>Caused a good, strong woman like you to walk out my life<em>  
><em>Now I never, never get to clean up the mess I made<em>  
><em>And it haunts me every time I close my eyes<em>

_It all just sounds like Ohhh.._  
><em>Too young, too dumb to realize<em>  
><em>That I should have bought you flowers,<em>  
><em>And held your hand,<em>  
><em>Should have gave you all my hours when I had the chance.<em>  
><em>Take you to every party cause all you wanted to do was dance<em>  
><em>Now, my baby is dancing, but she's dancing with another man."<em>

Gabriella downed the last of her drink. She couldn't take it anymore. Her chest was heavy and hurt. She felt like she couldn't breathe. She had to get away from here, from him, from that song. She knew it was about them. She knew, just by the way his eyes never left hers. She was going to crack, breakdown in the middle of this crowded bar in front of hundreds of strangers.

_"Although it hurts, I'll be the first to say I was wrong._  
><em>Oh, I know I'm probably much too late<em>  
><em>to try and apologize for my mistakes<em>  
><em>But I just want you to know-"<em>

Gabriella pushed the door open, almost knocking a couple people back. She walked quickly to the parking lot and hopped in the first cab she saw. She spat out an address before she covered her face trying to choke back a sob.

* * *

><p>It took her the whole 45 minute ride to get herself together. The cab pulled up in front of a gate, she breathed out in anticipation. She pulled out money from her pocket and paid the man. She climbed out giving him a weak smile. She waited until the cab drove away before she stepped up to the number pad.<p>

"If I was Troy, what would my gate code be?" Gabi asked herself. She took another deep breath. "1-4-1-4" She guessed as she punched in the numbers. The gate opened. "Really, Troy?" She mumbled to herself. She stepped through the gate and it closed behind her.

She walked up the stretch to his front door. She prayed to god that he didn't have a home alarm system. She looked around his porch. She picked up a potted plant and shook her head. He was so typical. She grabbed the key and pushed it into the lock. She opened the door and froze for a moment. She didn't hear anything so she closed the door quietly behind her. She looked over at the security system. It was unarmed.

She put the key on the side table and walked around his living room. It was different than what she expected Troy to have. She wondered who picked the furniture out for him. She walked around to the kitchen. She found his liquor cabinet. She licked her lips, looking at her choices.

She decided to stick with whiskey. She grabbed the bottle and took a seat on his stiff couch. It was like nobody ever sat in his living room. She sighed, taking a swig from the half empty bottle. She grimaced as it burned all the way down her throat.

She didn't know how long she'd been sitting there and drinking. It had been a while before she was finished drinking but the bottle wasn't gone. She was fuzzy and she couldn't believe she was in Troy Bolton's house. She set the bottle down and stood up. She walked carefully around the first story of the house. The rest of his house looked much more like him. His kitchen was clean and perfect. He had a second living room that looked well used and comfortable. She got to the stairs and took the steps up.

She held onto the railing. She peaked in three bedrooms before she got to his master bedroom. She saw his ipod sitting on the dock. She turned it on and scrolled through it. She stopped at an old song. She pressed play and the music started playing. She sighed, falling back onto his made bed.

_"Another shot of whiskey please bartender._  
><em>Keep them coming until I don't remember at all<em>  
><em>How bad it hurts when you're gone.<em>  
><em>Turn the music up a little bit louder.<em>  
><em>Just gotta get past the midnight hour<em>  
><em>Maybe tomorrow, it won't be this hard.<em>

_Who am I kidding? I know what I'm missing._  
><em>I, I had my heart set on you<em>  
><em>But nothing else hurts like you do<em>  
><em>Who knew that love was so cruel?<em>  
><em>And I waited and waited so long<em>  
><em>For someone to never come home<em>  
><em>It's my fault to think you'd be true<em>  
><em>But I'm just a fool<em>

_I said that I don't care._  
><em>I'd walk away, whatever.<em>  
><em>And I tell myself we were bad together<em>  
><em>But that's just me trying to move on without you<em>

_But Who am I kidding? I know what I'm missing._  
><em>I, I had my heart set on you<em>  
><em>But nothing else hurts like you do<em>  
><em>Who knew that love was so cruel?<em>  
><em>And I waited and waited so long<em>  
><em>For someone to never come home<em>  
><em>It's my fault to think you'd be true<em>

_But I'm just a fool_  
><em>For holding onto something that<em>  
><em>is never ever going to come back<em>  
><em>I can't accept that it's lost<em>  
><em>I should have let it go<em>  
><em>bit my tongue, kept my big mouth shut<em>  
><em>Cause now everything is just wrong.<em>  
><em>I'm thrown."<em>

She sang out loud every painful word of the song. She finally got the strength to stand up and walk around the room. She stopped singing during the interlude when something caught her eye. The picture on his bedside table. They took their senior pictures together. Troy dressed in Red and Gabriella in white. She was lying on the floor and he was next to her, with his arm over her body, holding himself up. They both had big, matching smiles. Her breath caught at the second picture.

The second picture was from freshman year. Him giving her a kiss on her nose. She hadn't cried the whole time she'd been in his house. Now she wanted to. Just because of a stupid picture. She picked it up, looking at it closely.

She took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in her throat. She chucked the picture against the wall, letting out a groan in frustration as the tears started rolling down her face. She grabbed the first picture and threw it.

"Hey!" A voice said, moving out of the way of the flying picture. "Gabriella?"

She froze as he took a step forward. She took a step back and found the wall behind her. "Don't." She whispered as she slid down the wall.

"How-" He stopped looking over at the broken pictures on the floor. "How did you get in here?"

"fourteen, fourteen. Key under the pot. Unarmed security system. Anybody who knows you could break in easily." She said after a calming breath. He tried to take a step closer, she held her hand up. "Don't."

"What are you doing here?" He finally asked after staring long and hard at her. "I knew I saw you earlier."

She pushed her hair back and let out a sigh. "I spent the last five years beating myself up, trying to figure out what happened. I have over analyzed every year, every day, every moment, we spent together. I still don't know or understand."

His face softened. "Gab."

"I lost my boyfriend, my best friends, and myself all in the moment I lost you. I don't know where we would be now. All I know is that it still hurts. It still feels like we are eighteen years old. It still feels like you're breaking my heart, every single moment I think about you." Gabriella said slowly.

"I'm going to sit down by you, okay?" He asked carefully.

She looked up, wiping her tears. "Fine."

Troy approached slowly. He slid down the wall next to her. She held her breath at his proximity. "I'm sorry."

She sniffled. "I would be too."

He gave her a ghost of a smile. "I messed up."

"I'm drunk." She admitted, turning to look at him with her red puffy eyes. "I drank your whiskey."

"Sharpay said you stopped drinking."

Gabi nodded. "I did for a while."

"What happened?" Troy cleared his throat. "If you don't mind me asking."

"I watched you on TV. I saw you sign with the Suns." She licked her lips. "My dad left it on ESPN. I was good for two years. I tried dating, I finished college, and I moved back home. Then bam, there you were. It just sent me back to being eighteen and vulnerable. I felt abandoned. When you left, it seemed like half of the people in my life left too."

"That wasn't my intention, you have to know that."

"The thing is; I don't know what your intentions were. I still haven't figured it out after all this time, Troy. I don't know. I still don't understand why you broke me, why you broke us. I loved you Troy. I still love you and I still don't understand." She let out a sob before covering her face. She was tired of crying.

Troy sighed, running his hands through his hair. "I was a kid. I listened to my friends who said going to college with a girlfriend would be a mistake. I also listened to my own father who told me I'd be holding you back if we stayed together. I let other people get to me. I let other people make my decisions for me. You have to know, Gabi, letting you go was the biggest mistake I've ever made."

Gabi wiped her tears. "Why didn't you talk to me? Why did you ignore my calls and my messages? Why did you get to stay in contact with my friends but I lost all of yours? I'm sure Sharpay told you all about my life, do you really think you were making me better by staying away?"

"It was too late, Gabi. It-"

"That is where you're wrong Troy. It would never be too late. Not with you." Gabriella pushed herself up. "I hope you are happy with the mistakes you made. I hope you realize why I am the way I am. The fact is since the day you broke my heart, I realized I don't know who you are anymore. When you dig deep down and find the Troy I knew and loved for seven years, you can come to Albuquerque and find me. I'll be waiting, Troy, just don't take too long."

Gabriella turned to look at him as she got to his bedroom door. She sighed, gathering up her courage to walk out the door. She turned down the hallway and stopped before she got to the stairs. She covered her mouth, sobbing quietly.

Troy got up quickly and ran out, stopping as he saw her. He took three long strides over to her and wrapped her up in his arms. She laid her head against his chest, grabbing a hold of the shirt he was wearing. He shushed her quietly, stroking the back of her hair. "I know it hurts, it hurts me too."

"I'm just making a fool out of myself." Gabi said, between sucking in breaths. She wiped her eyes. "I wasn't supposed to cry. I was supposed to show you what you were missing."

He chuckled softly before shushing her again. "You're beautiful, Gabi."

"Do you hate me for breaking and entering?"

He wiped the remaining tears with the pads of his thumbs. "I could never hate you. I'm not that person anymore, Gabi."

"Do you still love me?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Of course I do. I never stopped loving you." He assured. He pushed her hair back slightly.

"Then why didn't you come to me, Troy?" She asked between deep, shaky breaths. "I would have done anything for you Troy."

"That's exactly why I couldn't." He said softly. "You can't just uproot your dreams and your life for mine. I'm not even in one spot for most of the year."

Gabriella took a minute to gather the rest of her-self together. "It's so cliché to say that it wasn't your decision to make. We could have made it work. I'd follow you wherever but tell me, would you do the same for me?"

"In a heartbeat."

"What about right now?" She asked, pulling away from him. "Would you do it right now?"

Troy furrowed his eyebrows. "What?"

"Would you quit everything, leave this life, move back to Albuquerque?" Gabriella quirked her eyebrow. "Would you do that for me?"

"If can leave everything and just be with you?" He asked, with a blank expression. Gabi nodded her head, sniffling. "I'm selling everything and I'll be on the first flight to Albuquerque."

She pushed his chest. "Shut up, no you wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"You didn't come for five years Troy."

"That doesn't mean I won't come now. I love you Gabi, you love me. If you asked me, I'd pick up my life and be with you."

"I'd be all for it Troy but I don't even know you anymore."

Troy groaned. "I'm still me, Gabi. I'm the Troy that you knew. I always want to be him because he was the best version of me. Do you want to know why?"

"Sure." Gabi replied dryly.

"I didn't have a house, or stuff. I didn't have money or security. I had a future though. And I had you. That is the most important thing. One day this will all just go away but if I have you then I'll be perfectly okay with that."

Gabriella cleared her throat. "I should go."

"Stay here."

She shook her head. "I have a hotel."

"Let me drive you atleast."

"Fine."

"You hungry?"

She shook her head again. "I can't even think about eating right now."

"You have to eat, Gabi."

"I'll probably vomit all over you."

He smiled softly. "That's better than breaking all my things."

"That was my plan intentionally. Come here, say fuck you and break all your things." She licked her lips. "Sorry about your pictures again."

"They're just frames."

"Where is your restroom? I drank a lot and.." She trailed off looking around his hallway.

"Say no more." He murmured. "Two doors down to your right."

"Thanks."

Gabriella slipped away from him and found the bathroom. She locked herself inside. Troy watched as she walked into the bathroom before turning around. He walked into his closet and grabbed a broom and dustpan. He swept up the glass from his bedroom. He picked up the pictures carefully, shaking off the glass. He set them on his bed before he threw away the glass.

She turned on the water and splashed her face a couple times. She was definitely drunk but she was feeling uncharacteristically sober. She pulled out her phone and called a cab. She had fifteen minutes to sneak out without him noticing. She was up for the challenge. She took a deep breath and stepped out.

She snuck down the stairs only for Troy to see her in the kitchen. She took a breath. "Do you want some water and some bread or something?"

"Sure." She said quietly walking over to him. She watched as he poured her a glass of water. She was not going to feel guilty about this. She had no reason to. "Thanks." She said, putting the piece of bread he handed to her in her mouth.

"Chad asks about you a lot." Troy said, looking through his fridge.

"Oh." She took another bit of bread and chewed it slowly.

"He misses the gang. We all used to be so close, ya know?"

"I know." She said sharply. She checked the time. Ten minutes.

"I miss it too. I missed you the most." He admitted looking back at her. "There's something magical about when we were all together. We were like a family. I feel like I'm on my own all the time, being out on the road half of the year. It seems like it's been forever since I've had that family feeling."

"Your team isn't great?"

"No, they are." Troy nodded, pulling out ingredients.

"Troy I'm not hungry." She said firmly.

"Come on, you have to eat." He said, pleading with her. "I feel close with the guys but it's like they have families or things outside of basketball and what do I have? An empty house and singing at a bar."

"Start a charity or something." Gabriella said, shrugging her shoulders. She set down the bread and took a quick drink of water. "Find something that makes you happy. I'm sure any girl you meet on the side of the road would be happy to become Mrs. Troy Bolton."

"That's the problem with me though. I trust nobody."

"Nobody?"

"Well almost nobody. I don't want to get taken for a ride by some girl who only wants my name or my money. I want a wife, a marriage, a family."

"I'm going to use your bathroom again." She said, interrupting his little rant.

"Okay." He said with a slight frown.

She walked calmly to the bathroom door, closing it. She made quick work to open the window. It was small and high. She stood on the toilet seat and tried to pop the screen out. She finally popped it out and almost fell off the toilet seat. She fell into the wall with a loud thud.

"Gabriella? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She winced, stepping off the toilet seat. Could she just leave him without any warning? God, she wished she was one of those people who could just walk away without looking back. She found toothpaste and smeared 'sorry' into his mirror. She wanted to go home tonight but she drove her car. She groaned aloud as she washed the toothpaste from her fingers.

She dried her hands quickly and got back up on the toilet. She lifted herself up to the windowsill. She went headfirst and tumbled out the window onto his grass. She didn't even bother with the screen. She ran across the grass and out the gate. She walked down the street a little bit before she saw the cab pull up.

She leaned her head against the window the whole ride back to Phoenix. She tried not to fall asleep, cry, or vomit. She was exhausted and emotionally drained. She was just going to turn off her phone and lay low for a while. She got back to her hotel and paid the man in the cab. She made it up to her room and passed out, fully clothed on top of the bed.

* * *

><p><strong>Two months later.<strong>

Gabriella walked into Cactus Blues with a clear mind. She wasn't going to drink. She let go of her grudges and her demons. For the first time in her adult life, she felt free. Almost happy, even. Almost. She took a seat in the back and ordered some french-fries and a diet coke.

She went back to Albuquerque after meeting up with Troy that night. She thought long and hard about her life and her happiness. She had long talks with her friends and her family. She was young and she had her whole life ahead of her. Part of her really wanted to travel the world. She wanted to spend months in Europe and Australia, soaking in the culture. She wanted to live in the present and not in the past.

She quit her job. Her mother was scared for her but that was what mothers do. She was going to be okay now. She saved up most of her money by moving back in with her mother and selling all the furniture in her little apartment.

She thanked the waiter for bringing her food. She picked up a french-fry and popped it into her mouth. She chewed as she turned around to look at the stage. She ate another one as she saw people setting up on stage.

She sat back in her chair as she saw a scruffy Troy Bolton get up on stage. He looked like hell. She watched his every movement. She licked her lips when she saw his pull out his guitar. He tapped his mic just to make sure it was on. He plucked his guitar gently before he brought over a stool and took a seat on it. He adjusted the microphone stand before he spoke. "Hey, Everybody. I'm Troy Bolton. I see a few regulars out there. If you don't know, I play for the Suns. I have a second love and that is music. Here's a little something I've been working on. I can't stay long tonight so enjoy."

The crowd clapped. Gabriella looked back at her empty basket of fries. She took a drink of her diet coke just as he started to strum.

_"Where are you now?_  
><em>Who's holding you now,<em>  
><em>when your world stands still?<em>  
><em>Do you remember?<em>

_Leaves were fallin'_  
><em>We were fallin'<em>  
><em>Almost like a dream<em>  
><em>Do you remember?<em>

_Seasons changed, We both changed_  
><em>Sometimes I go back to when<em>  
><em>We ran, put our feet in the water<em>  
><em>We danced, didn't care who could see<em>  
><em>We sang every song to each other<em>  
><em>summer would end, but not for me<em>  
><em>I still feel the hope in your kisses<em>  
><em>I still feel the sun on your skin<em>  
><em>I swear I was holding forever back then<em>  
><em>Do you remember?<em>

_Where I am now_  
><em>is where I should be now<em>  
><em>you're so far away<em>  
><em>but always with me<em>

_It seems like another life_  
><em>Whenever I go back to when<em>  
><em>We ran, put our feet in the water<em>  
><em>We danced, didn't care who could see<em>  
><em>We sang every song to each other<em>  
><em>summer would end, but not for me<em>  
><em>I still feel the hope in your kisses<em>  
><em>I still feel the sun on your skin<em>  
><em>I swear I was holding forever back then<em>  
><em>Do you remember?<em>

_We ran_  
><em>We kissed<em>  
><em>We learned<em>  
><em>to love<em>  
><em>to live<em>

_We ran, put our feet in the water_  
><em>We danced, didn't care who could see<em>  
><em>We sang every song to each other<em>  
><em>summer would end, but not for me<em>  
><em>I still feel the hope in your kisses<em>  
><em>I still feel the sun on your skin<em>  
><em>I swear I was holding forever back then<em>  
><em>Do you remember?"<em>

Gabriella clapped and slid out of the stool to stand up. Troy gave the crowd a half smile. "Thank you, see you guys next week." Troy packed up his guitar and walked off the small stage.

Gabriella turned around quickly, paying her bill before running out the door. Troy was walking quickly to his car. Gabriella followed him unnoticed. Troy opened and lifted his trunk lid. Gabriella stood by the driver door waiting for him to close it and see her.

Troy pushed the guitar into his trunk and closed the lid. He froze when he saw her standing there by her door. "Gabi." He said softly.

"Nice song." She said, smiling softly at him. "I didn't know you liked country music."

Troy shrugged. "It's either that or Mexican music out here. What are you doing here?"

"I got your letter." She lifted up the envelope that was burning a hole in her pocket since she's gotten here. "I've been here all week waiting to talk to you."

"Really? Why didn't you just come to the house?"

"I did, you weren't home." She said softly. She swallowed. "Can we go somewhere?"

"You drive here?" She shook her head at his question. He licked his lips. "Okay." He unlocked the car.

She watched his unreadable expression. She walked around and climbed in his car. "Shar said she's been trying to call you."

"I haven't been feeling like talking to anyone lately." He murmured. He turned the key in the ignition. "I'm taking you back to my house, if that's okay? It's the hottest month of the year."

"That's okay Troy." She said softly. "When does practice start?"

"Last week."

"Have you been going?"

"Yeah, to most of them." He said, leaning back in his seat. "What have you been up to?"

She licked her lips, choosing to answer carefully. "Reassessing my life."

"Yeah?" She nodded her head. "How is that going?"

"It's going." She said, letting out a deep breath.

"Any plans for your birthday?"

"Nah, I've got a couple days to figure it out."

He nodded. The rest of the ride was silent. He pulled into his gate and parked his car. She climbed out. She followed him inside the house. "You redecorated?" She said jokingly at his messy front room.

"I wasn't expecting company." He said, frowning at his own mess.

"Since when have I ever been company?" She asked, sitting on top of the mess on the couch. He just looked at her. "Come sit by me."

"You're so different from last time."

"I'm sober this time." She said. "I feel like I've been ten different people in this lifetime. I'm starting to like who I am now."

He smiled slightly. "I'm glad." He took a seat on the couch next to her.

"When is the last time you shaved?" She asked, reaching out and feeling his stubble.

"It's been a while." He admitted. "I'll go shave it if you don't like it."

She smiled slightly. "Keep it."

"You wanted to talk about the letter?" He asked, looking away from her.

"Do you mean what you said?" She asked.

"Of course." He looked at her with a small frown.

"Read it to me." She said, pulling out the envelope.

"It's been months since I wrote that…" He trailed off.

"So." She said with a shrug. "Read it to me."

He sighed. He took the letter out of the envelope grasping it in his hand. He unfolded the letter and sighed as he glazed over the writing. _"Dear Gabi._" He started. "Do I really have to do this?"

"Yes." She said firmly. "Go on."

_"Dear Gabi. I know why you did what you did. I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't a complete wreck when I found an empty bathroom, because I was. I was dead set on thinking I was going to be able to see you again and have it be like old times. I know now that it's not like that. You were right. We're different people and that's okay. I'm willing to get to know you again. I'm willing to do anything to have you back in my life again because these five years without you have been complete hell. I know I hurt you and I'd do anything in the world to be able to take it back. You don't deserve it."_ Troy read from the letter. He looked up at her.

"Keep going." She encouraged.

_"I love you Gabriella. I have loved you since I first laid eyes on you. I've told you that before and I meant it. When you're in love with somebody for twelve years, you can't just forget. I haven't forgotten and I know you haven't forgotten. Every day that I spent without you, was a day that I just went through the motions. You're the one, Gabi, you always were. We're different people now. I'm not that confused 18 year-old anymore. I know exactly what I want. I want you. I want you only if you will have me. In here is a ring I bought for you. If or when the day comes, you want to marry me-"_

"_I'll be more than willing. I've spent five years without you Gabi. I don't want to spend anymore. Troy."_ Gabriella finished for him. "I honestly don't know what you expect from me."

"I don't know what I expect from you either. I just want to let you know how I felt-"

Gabriella grabbed his face and kissed his lips firmly. She felt a rush of warmth as he caressed the side of her face when the shock wore off. She pulled away breathlessly. "Ask me."

"Ask you what?" He asked confused.

She grabbed the envelope. She pulled the ring out and put it in his palm. "Ask me." She said slowly.

He looked at her wearily. He stood up and stood her up. He dropped to one knee, placing the ring at the tip of her ring finger. "Gabriella Montez, You are my everything. I can't even begin to explain how much I love you. We are-"

"I didn't think it'd be this corny." She said teasingly.

Troy finally cracked a real smile. "Fine. Gabi, we haven't talked in five years and I love you so much more than I did than when were in fifth grade and everybody called us Cory and Topanga. You were my first everything and I want you to be my last. I'll never let you go again. I will smother you with love until we get so old we can't function properly. You're my forever. Will you marry me?"

"On one condition..." Gabriella said slowly.

"What?" Troy asked, trying not to look mortified.

"We redecorate this room. It's disgusting Troy."

"I'll clean up, I promise." He said, slipping the ring onto her finger.

Gabriella laughed, pulling him up. "No, seriously, this furniture has got to go."

"Deal." He smiled as he stood up. He wrapped her up in his arms. He leaned down, kissing her lips slowly.

He savored her sweet kisses before she pulled away. "I love you." She murmured into his lips. He grinned in response. He lifted her up, carrying her away to the bedroom.

* * *

><p><strong>Just a one shot! Hope you enjoyed. Also hope y'all had a happy 4th of july if you live in America. Dont forget to review!<strong>

**1. When i was your man- Bruno Mars**

**2. Just a Fool- Christina Aguilera ft Blake Shelton**

**3. Do you remember- Blake Shelton**

**(Inspired by Chainsaw- The Band Perry. I was originally going to make it more badass but it ended up like this.)**


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